Hemostasis, the physiological control of bleeding, is a complex process incorporating the vasculature, platelets, coagulation factors (FI-FXIII), fibrinolytic proteins, and coagulation inhibitors. Disruption of hemostasis plays a central role in the onset of myocardial infarction, stroke, pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis and excessive bleeding. Consequently, in vitro diagnostics (IVD) are critically needed to quantify hemostatic dysfunction and direct appropriate treatment. This need is particularly acute during cardiac surgeries requiring cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), where post-surgical bleeding is a common complication requiring transfusion of blood products.
Existing IVDs include endpoint biochemical assays, platelet aggregation assays, and clot viscoelastic measurement systems. Endpoint biochemical assays such as the prothrombin time (PT) and the partial thromboplastin time (PTT) are widely used to assess coagulation. However, these tests measure only a part of the hemostatic process and operate under non-physiological conditions incorporating only the function of plasma. As a result of these limitations, complications such as postoperative bleeding often occur despite normal perioperative PT and PTT measurements.
Activated clotting time (ACT) is an endpoint assay that is most often applied in support of CPB. This assay applies strong initiation of the surface activation (intrinsic) pathway to quantify heparinization. Limitations of the ACT include its disregard for platelet function, lysis, and coagulation kinetics along with the use of large aliquots of whole blood (WB) (generally 2 mL) and moving mechanical parts. For these reasons, the ACT is used for rapid assessment of heparinization and associated protamine reversal with limited utility for additional applications.
Platelets play a crucial role in the progression of coagulation and quelling arterial bleeding. Furthermore, the modern cell-based theory of hemostasis recognizes that platelets play a modulating role in coagulation. Platelet function is monitored clinically via both central lab assays and point of care (POC) tests, which use anticoagulated WB. Both approaches are limited in that they use platelet aggregation as a proxy for overall platelet function. Furthermore, disabling coagulation, these methods neglect the interaction between platelets and the coagulation cascade.
Techniques that monitor the viscoelastic properties of WB, such as thromboelastography (TEG) and rotational thromboelastometer (ROTEM), circumvent many of the limitations of endpoint biochemical assays and platelet aggregation assays by measuring the combined effects of all components of hemostasis. TEG has been shown to diagnose hyperfibrinolysis in bleeding patients, indicate transfusion requirements better than standard biochemical assays, and reduce transfusion requirements during CPB when used with transfusion algorithms. While these tests offer valuable clinical information, the devices are typically complex to operate and difficult to interpret. Moreover, the TEG applies relatively large shear strains, which transgress the non-linear viscoelastic regime, thereby disrupting clot formation. For these reasons, the TEG sees very limited utility as a POC test.